


Lights out

by LetoaSai



Series: StrifeHart Fluff [37]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Homework sucks, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Power Outage, Rain, Storms, slumber party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:22:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22384027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetoaSai/pseuds/LetoaSai
Summary: Leon's attention was stretched a little thin during a thunderstorm. The boys wariness and Cloud's dread of loud noises took top priority. Distractions still worked best.
Relationships: Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife
Series: StrifeHart Fluff [37]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1108581
Comments: 16
Kudos: 109





	Lights out

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts

“Homework.” 

“But-” 

“Homework.” Leon repeated, showing little sympathy for his sons pout. It was only the third week of school but his kids were still getting used to the new schedule. They missed not being home or going with Cloud to work. They missed trips to Destiny Island and sleeping in when they wanted. 

Leon was still hoping one of them would get used to school and like it like he had, but school had been an escape for him. It was some kind of personal achievement that his kids weren’t trying to escape their house. 

Just wait until they were hitting harder subjects. He was really starting to not look forward to that. Sora and Roxas were cutting out pieces of a map of Radiant Garden and Riku was on chapter two of Charlotte’s Web. They sat at the kitchen table, each with a bowl of pretzels next to them. 

He’d made them all take a bath the moment they got home since they’d been caught in the rain that was still coming down. The last thing he wanted was one of them getting sick because it would spread and five kids sick at once sounded miserable. 

With their routine done backwards they were more reluctant than usual to do their homework. 

Leon sat at the table too, laptop in front of him as he went through his lecture for the following day. The college kids were also still getting used to the work. Beside him, Ventus and Vanitas were also hard at work. The boys weren’t struggling per say but they definitely weren't used to doing their homework out in the open. Weren’t used to doing it at all probably. Leon had fought to keep the boys in the fifth grade rather than them being held back a year. 

He’d assured their teachers and principal that they would be prepared and while none of those teachers had yet had Riku or the twins in their classes, they knew enough about Leon to take him at his word. 

Ventus and Vanitas were smart boys, they just needed a bit of tutor. Lucky, Leon was prepared. They sat on either side of him, each trying not to cheat off the other while they made their lists of Liquids, Gases, and Solids. 

“I don’t really get gases.” Vanitas muttered, looking up at Leon. “I mean i get water and stuff you drink are liquids and solids are like... everything else.” he knocked his knuckles onto the table. “Isn’t gas like for your car? Isn’t that a liquid?” 

“Different kind of gas. See right now you’re just making lists of each kind but they can change.” Leon explained. 

Vanitas stared at him, looking put out. “How?” 

“Well, water for example is a liquid. When you freeze it, it becomes ice and hardens into a solid. One changes into another.” 

“So gases are like air?” Ventus said, reading from his text book. “But air is just air, right?” 

Leon smiled faintly. “Yes and no. There’s the air we breath but then there are other kinds like helium. It’s the kind of air we put into balloons to make them floaty.” 

Both boys instantly went to their lists, writing down helium before they forgot the word. 

The front door opened and shut loudly and Leon was already getting up to see who was there when he saw Cloud. He was soaking wet with bags of food in each hand and looked like the rain had been increasing. 

“Looks like you were attacked by your namesake, Rain Cloud.” Leon said, moving to help take the bags so Cloud could get his jacket off and otherwise dry off. “What are you doing home so early?” 

“The wind is getting bad.” Cloud said, hair dripping. “Powers knocked out through half the town. Studio included. I sent everyone home. I wasn’t sure if we had power so i grabbed dinner.” 

“Oh you’re a saint.” Leon chuckled. “Go get into some dry clothes, babe. I’ll pass dinner out.” 

“Home early with food and not even rewarded.” Cloud sighed dramatically, getting knocked back into the wall where Leon pressed a kiss to his mouth. 

“Your reward is not getting sick. Go change.” Leon grinned, turning away and taking the food into the kitchen. “Books away for now. We’ll finish homework after we eat.” 

“Yes!” Sora cheered, practically swiping all of his things back into his bag in one swift motion. All of them looked relieved and an early dinner wasn’t going to hurt their feelings. 

Leon set the bags down and knew the boys orders every bit as well as Cloud did. Riku grabbed plates and Ventus went to fetch drinks for everyone while the others finished clearing the table. 

Everything was plated and the boys had started eating by the time Cloud reemerged, towel drying his hair. 

“How was school?” Cloud asked with a faint smile, getting answers from all of them at once. The older twins were still getting used to the idea that school didn’t have to be a bad thing and the others were happy with their brand new teachers and classmates. 

The boys like to compare their school experiences to their fathers and Cloud was happy to lament that he didn’t learn the provinces around Radiant Garden until fourth grade and now Sora and Roxas were learning it in second. 

Leon dreaded them asking when they were older and realized that Cloud had dropped out of school after his mother died. After two years of learning to work the engine room on Cid’s airship, he was homeschooled and did technically graduate by way of it. 

He didn’t exactly want the boys thinking that was an option. 

The boys ate and went back to their homework, finishing it relatively quickly. They were just deciding what they were going to do for the night when it thundered so hard above that it rattled the house. Roxas had crossed the room in an instant and attached himself to Leon. 

“It’s okay.” Leon said, stroking Roxas’s hair. “We’re inside. It’s safe and warm and dry.” 

“Yeah.” Roxas muttered. He’d gotten better over the years but he’d never really gotten over his uneasiness during storms. 

Leon shifted his gaze to Cloud who was nervously tapping at his temple. Cloud could also normally handle the loud noises he hated so much the the volume always got to him. When it caused a secondary sensation, like the house shaking he grew tense. 

“Okay.” Leon repeated, trying to get a handle on all of his kids so he could comfort his husband at the same time. “It’s just a storm, and we’re all just fine.” he scowled when the thunder boomed again as if having to contradict him. 

The windows started rattling and the wind was passing by so fast that it whistled. 

“Is it supposed to rain this hard?” Sora asked nervously and Leon just smiled at him. 

“Nature is unpredictable but we’re okay. Why don’t we head into the living room? I’m sure we just need a distraction.”

Ventus and Vanitas moved first, taking the storm oddly well but Leon suspected they were just used to coping with stressful situations. Ventus walked with Riku and Sora into the living room and Vanitas stood next to Cloud, nudging at him as if knowing that Cloud’s silence was odd. 

“Papa?” 

Cloud inhaled slowly and put a hand on Vanitas’ shoulder. “Daddy’s right. Let’s go.” 

“You got all white.” Vanitas mumbled. 

“I don’t like thunder any more than Roxas does.” Cloud agreed, walking into the living room with him while Leon and Roxas followed. 

Riku had just turned the tv on when the windows lit up from lightning and the thunder shook the house again right after. A second later the power went out, the house draped in darkness. 

There was a squeak. Leon would have thought it was Roxas but he was still clinging to his side so it must have been Sora. 

“Daddy…” Riku’s worried voice followed right after. 

“Everything is fine.” Leon repeated. He picked Roxas up and set him on the couch before doing the same with Sora and Riku. “Ven. Vani. You two good?” 

“Yes.” Both chorused, though each had gravitated towards Cloud. 

The rain was pounding against the house and the dark didn’t help. Cloud cuddled the older set of twins against him but he was too quiet. Too focused on breathing and not flinching at every loud noise. 

“Okay.” Leon heaved a sigh. “Everyone stay here, i’m going to go get the flashlights, okay?” 

When he got a hum of agreement he wandered through the darkened house to the kitchen where he pulled a flashlight out of the junk drawer. With that he wandered to the hall closet where he pulled out the electric lanterns they used when taking walks late at night on Destiny Island. The fact that they all worked and none of them needed batteries was pure luck.

He set one up in the bathroom and carried the others back with him into the living room where everyone was oddly quiet, listening to the storm. 

“Right,” he sighed, trying to think of something that would entertain them. “Now i don’t think it’ll be all that bad, but why don’t we all sleep in here tonight? What do you think?” 

“Yeah!” Sora said instantly. “We can bring in pillows and stuff?” 

“Sleeping bags.” Riku added softly. 

“Yep.” He passed out the lanterns, one for each boy. “You can go to your rooms and bring everything you want back in here. We’ll set up a spot for everyone. Papa and i have dibs on the couch since we don’t have sleeping bags.” 

The boys laughed softly, a little more relieved that they wouldn’t be sent to bed in the dark. With lights in hand they each ran to their rooms to get their things and Leon was sure it was about to be a sea of blankets and plushies. 

With the boys out of the room he sat beside Cloud, his fingers digging into the back of his neck. “How are you feeling?” 

Cloud breathed out slowly, the sound shaking. “Not super great. Not super bad either.” Thunder cracked and Leon pulled Cloud closer, biting at his lip and kissing him just to distract him. It turned into a deeper kiss that had them both smiling. This was familiar.

“Years later and you’re still good at that.” Cloud muttered against his lips. One of his hands was gripping Leon’s wrist to ground him. 

His PTSD really had gotten better over the years but some things were always harder than others. 

“It’s a gift.” Leon muttered, shifting so Cloud could lean on him comfortably. 

“Mm.” Cloud agreed. “Dibs on the couch, huh?” 

“Been a while but i’m used to you laying on me.” 

Cloud cracked a smile and nodded. “Good.” He hid face against Leon’s neck and was just happy he’d made it home rather than being stuck at work or in traffic. 

Leon stroked his fingers through his hair and watched as the boys made multiple trips. Sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, more blankets. 

He got up at one point to move the coffee table out of the way and the boys took over, making themselves one giant bed on the living room floor. They put one of the lanterns on the floor in the middle of them and deemed it to be their camp fire.

They’d grabbed juices boxes that were supposed to be for school to drink and snacks had made their way in too. It was Ventus who shyly pulled out an uno deck and the games began. The rain was still pouring and the thunder still shook the windows, but they had successfully turned this into something fun. With both of their fathers sleeping next to them in the same room, worries drifted away. 

“It’s getting late.” Cloud said after a while. The storm was slowly moving away but his head was killing him from the noise and the adrenaline. “Last game and then bed time.” 

He was already getting pleas for five more minutes but he was easily distracted with Leon’s fingers in his hair again. 

“You heard papa.” Leon smiled a little. There were worse ways to spend a storm, and this wasn’t the first one he and Cloud ended up curled up on a mound of pillows side by side. 

They’d turned the couch into their bed as they had done so many times before and even after all this time, Cloud still fit like a puzzle piece on top of him. 

He didn’t know when the power would come back but he figured it would be by morning. For now at least, everyone was fine and felt safer together, Cloud included. 

“Time for bed.” Leon said again, but the novelty of the different sleeping arrangement made it less of a fight. He never thought he’d have this kind of family moment growing up but it was all he ever wanted. He could almost count the boys dropping off to sleep one at a time, and none of them were still worried about the loud noises and flashes of light. 

“Stop thinking and sleep.” Cloud mumbled against his ear, comforter wrapped around them. 

“You first.” Leon said fondly. It had been years and still all it took to weather a storm was a distraction.

**Author's Note:**

> Series Master List. In order. Mostly. 
> 
> Out of Order  
> A Winning Distraction (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> Quiet Midnight (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> Radiant Christmas (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> First Dance  
> Until Monday  
> Repeat  
> Not enough treats  
> Wager  
> Calling Home (technically just before and just after Wager)  
> Renewals  
> Date Night  
> Sick Lions  
> Bad Memories  
> Not Perfect (could really fit in a few places, here is fine)  
> Patience  
> Long Weekends  
> Fever  
> Melee  
> Time will Tell  
> Rumble  
> Fortitude  
> A Day for Two  
> Summer Sun  
> Homemade  
> Moving on  
> Probably Haunted  
> The Night Before: by Kutikue  
> It’s only two more  
> Safeguard  
> Finding Sleep  
> Wishes  
> Lights out  
> Professional Aid  
> Hope: by Jokul_Nightfury_Frost  
> Match  
> Surrounded by Kindness  
> Christmas Wisdom  
> On the Eve


End file.
